Sunday, January 30, 2011

Petfinder.com's annual results are in for the most popular pet names, and it seems that everybody needs a Buddy (or a Lucy) underfoot. Imagination has clearly gone the way of the economy, since for the fourth consecutive year, "Buddy" fetched the top spot as the most popular moniker for adoptable dogs. For cats, "Lucy" once again purred its way into first place, barely sneaking by "Midnight" to secure the number one name for felines. "Bella" continues to rise in the ranks for both cats and dogs (a sign of lingering Twilight mania, perhaps?) as does "Lucy." Meanwhile, "Rocky" sniffed its way back into the Top 10 list of dog names after last making the cut in 2007.

Check out the complete Top 10 lists below.

2010 Most Popular Dog Names:

1. Buddy

2. Max

3. Daisy

4. Bella

5. Lucy

6. Jack

7. Molly

8. Charlie

9. Sadie

10. Rocky

2010 Most Popular Cat Names:

1. Lucy

2. Midnight

3. Bella

4. Molly

5. Smokey

6. Tiger

7. Oreo

8. Max

9. Princess

10. Charlie

For an added bit of fun, Petfinder.com also uncovered just how many of our star-studded pets are named after the rich and famous. Ladies and gentlemen, "Elvis" is in the building! An impressive 256 pets currently up for adoption on Petfinder.com are named in honor of the groovy Graceland King, while "Houdini" magically appeared in second place.
Here are 2010's Most Popular Celebrity Pet Names:

1. Elvis

2. Houdini

3. Cher

4. Madonna

5. Twiggy

6. Oprah

7. Lady Gaga

8. Beyonce

9. Coco Chanel

10. Shakira

Petfinder.com's co-founder Betsy Banks Saul says that besides being entertaining, unusual and pop-culture names also serve a deeper purpose. "We often hear that adoptable pets get more attention both online and in the shelter when they have interesting names, so we encourage as much creativity as possible!"